Google Ads Video Campaigns: What They Are + How to Get Started

Google Ads video campaigns let businesses display video ads on YouTube and partner websites. When done right, they boost brand awareness, conversion, and revenue. Read on to learn how.

A whopping 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool. And of those businesses, 88% say it’s an important part of their overall marketing strategy.

Video ads are memorable — and 90% of marketers who use them say it’s given them a good ROI.

However, if you lack the time or direction, Google Ads video campaigns might feel out of reach.

This guide will help you determine if video is the right move for your marketing campaigns, and if so, get your first campaign up and running — all with the expert guidance of Sam Yadegar, CEO and co-founder of HawkSEM.

What are Google Ads video campaigns?

Google Ads video campaigns are a marketing method through which businesses promote their products or services through video on platforms like YouTube.

Most of us are familiar with ads that appear before or during a YouTube video, which is an example of a video ad in action. But these ads don’t just show up on YouTube.

They also appear throughout the Google Display Network, a collection of more than 2 million apps and websites, as well as various sites that run on Google video partners.

How do video campaigns work?

Like other Google ad types, the business pays Google a fee to display its ad to a target audience (people whose age, location, or past searches align with the advertiser’s product).

Google Ads determines which ads appear for a specific search based on auctions. Google considers a handful of factors when choosing an ad to feature:

• Your bid
• Your ad and landing page quality
• The expected impact from your ad assets and other ad formats
• Ad rank threshold
• Competitiveness of the ad auction
• Your ad’s context

Advertisers set a daily budget, so Google automatically bids within the predetermined costs.

From there, the process works similarly to any other PPC auction. When a user who has shown indicators of interest watches a YouTube video or visits a webpage that houses display ads, Google runs an auction involving all the ads submitted.

Google looks at the above criteria, picks a winner, and shows the ad to the user, all within milliseconds.

What are the types of video ads available?

As an advertiser, you can choose from six different video ad formats:

1. Skippable in-stream ads: Ads without a time limit that can be skipped by the user, which helps advertisers better understand user attention and interest. Served on YouTube videos and Google Video Partner (GVP) sites.
2. Non-skippable in-stream ads: 15-second (maximum) ads that can’t be skipped by the user, so they hear your entire message, displayed on YouTube videos, GVP in-stream, and GVP apps.
3. In-feed video ads: Ads without a time limit for very engaged users who are in the searching phase of the sales funnel, shown on the YouTube home feed and YouTube Search.
4. Bumper ads: Very short video ads that can’t be skipped to help raise awareness or support other running ads, displayed inside YouTube videos or GVP in-stream and apps.
5. Masthead ads: Only available on a reservation basis through a Google sales representative, this format helps brands drive awareness for new products or services (or reach a large audience quickly).
6. YouTube Shorts ads: Served to highly engaged users on mobile devices.

Pro tip: Have a limited budget and need the most bang for your buck? Yadegar recommends using skippable in-stream with a remarketing campaign.

What are the benefits of Google Ads video campaigns?

“Google Ads video campaigns increase engagement, drive more conversions, help build brand awareness along with an emotional connection to a brand,” says Yadegar.

They’re ideal for quickly capturing your audience’s attention, sharing valuable information about your company, and reaching a wide range of potential customers across the internet.

Videos are also ideal if you need to share a lot of information in a short amount of time.

Even a 15-second video ad can enable you to tell customers about your company, your products, and your brand values. A combination of visuals and text on-screen should do the trick.

Another huge benefit of video ads is shareability. If your ad resonates with someone, they could do some of the legwork for you by sharing the video with their friends on social media.

How to launch a Google Ads video campaign

Videos that you want to use for ads must be uploaded to YouTube first, so make sure your channel is set up and stocked with your content first.

From here:

1. Sign in to your Google Ads account
2. Select the blue “+” button to create a new campaign > “Video”
3. Select your campaign subtype: Skippable in-stream, non-skippable in-stream, bumper ads, etc.
4. Set your campaign budget
5. Select location, language, interests, keywords, and demographic targeting options
6. Select the video you want to use from your YouTube account
7. Add a headline and description
8. Set a bid strategy
9. Launch

How to track your performance

After you’ve created a few ads and are done setting up your campaign, it can take a few days for your ads to start running. Keep an eye on your account to see when your ads have been approved.

Once your ads launch, you can use Google Analytics to keep track of your metrics and see how audiences are responding. A few of the most common metrics to track include:

• Impressions: An impression is counted every time someone sees your video. You can track thumbnail impressions (the number of times people see your video’s thumbnail) and video impressions (the number of times people watched your ads for 30 seconds or less).
• Views: Views are counted when someone watches your in-stream ad for 30 seconds or longer.
• Clicks: Clicks are recorded any time someone clicks on your ad, giving you more information about how engaging your ad is.
• Video Played To: This metric shows you how far viewers get in your video. You can see how many viewers watch 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of your ad.

Best practices to optimize your Google Ads video campaign

Running a successful video ad campaign can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. A bit of forethought and preparation can make your campaign as effective as possible.

Hit the high points early

It’s no secret that the majority of users skip video ads if they can.

With that in mind, it’s critical to catch your audience’s attention and get your point across within the first few seconds of your video. It should be immediately clear what your business does and what you want the viewer to do.

If you really want things to be short and sweet, you can do that, too. In fact, the shorter your ad is, the more likely it is that your viewers will watch the whole thing. 66% of internet users will watch the entirety of an ad if it’s under 60 seconds.

Try different ad types

Using multiple types of ad formats in your campaign can help you garner better results and wider reach than sticking to just one video type.

For instance, you can create a 15-second non-skippable in-stream ad and trim that same video down for a six-second bumper ad to offer a to-the-point summary of your company and its offerings.

You don’t have to start from scratch every time you make a new ad. Instead, repurpose content as much as you can to get the most bang for your buck.

You can also experiment with in-feed video ads  (previously called discovery video ads), which appear on a user’s Home, Search, and Watch feeds on YouTube. Your ads will be placed next to the content that your audience is already viewing, giving you a better chance of making an impression.

Use assets wisely

Assets (formerly called “extensions”) are additional elements within your ad that give more information to the viewer, like your company’s address, phone number, or hours.

Including relevant assets, can make it easier for your target audience to interact with you.

For instance, your video ad can include (up to four) sitelinks that take the user to your homepage or a specified landing page on your website.

If you want more information from your viewers, you can include a lead form as an asset. This method lets users interact with your brand without ever leaving their given platform, which can lead to increased engagement.

4 common mistakes and issues

There are some default settings in Google Ads that many advertisers aren’t aware of, and if you don’t read the fine print, you could sabotage your campaign without realizing it.

1. Don’t opt into the default display network on a limited budget

When setting up your campaign, you’ll see a section called “Networks,” where you can specify where you want your ads to be displayed. By default, your ads will show in three places:

• YouTube search results
• YouTube videos
• Video partners on the Display Network

Many advertisers choose to keep the settings as they are, giving their ads the best chance of being seen and drawing website traffic. But if you have a small budget, you might want to uncheck the Display Network option.

By limiting your video ads to run on YouTube alone, you’ll have a better chance of engagement without spending too much money. YouTube is based on video content, so that’s what people expect to see.

You’re likely to see better watch times, performance in general, and return on investment (ROI) compared to having your ads all over the internet.

2. Turn off “TV screens” to maximize assets

Including assets like sitelinks or lead forms can be great for increasing engagement, but they only work on mobile or desktop. Those assets won’t appear if the ad is playing on a TV.

So, to make the most of your ad budget, go to “Devices” in your Google Ads campaign settings and turn off “TV screens.”

3. Track your ad placements to ensure appropriate spend

When setting up your campaign, you have the option to specify what YouTube channels, videos, apps, or websites you want your ad to be displayed on. But just because you choose the placements you want doesn’t mean Google will always listen.

Google will place your ads on YouTube or Display Network placements that are in line with your other targeting specifications.

In other words, if you hand-pick a placement that doesn’t match the other targeting information you’ve provided, Google might ignore the placements you chose. Double-check your placements to ensure your ad spend is going where you expect it to.

4. Display website capabilities

You might have to do some research before deciding just what Display Network websites you want your ads to run on. But Google doesn’t limit itself to just the websites that have video ad placements; it will show you every possible result.

If your ad is placed on a website that doesn’t run video ads, your ad spend is essentially wasted. Monitor your Display Network placements to ensure your ad is actually running.

Looking forward: Google video ad trends

Google search may start to lean toward a more visual experience. It seems Google may be testing a new video functionality for shopping ads, involving a play icon that switches over to a “watch” button when hovering over the still frame.

The pro? Letting people watch product videos in search results could increase ad engagement. The con? Landing page traffic could drastically decrease.

Additionally, we expect to see more AI integration in the future of video ads.

The takeaway

If videos aren’t already part of your digital marketing strategy, there’s no better time than the present.

Whether you’re looking to start creating video ads or launch a new campaign to scale your business further, HawkSEM can help.

We’ll learn about your company and collaborate on a strategy that’s sure to bring results. Contact us today to learn more.

This article has been updated and was originally published in January 2023.